Common Names
Shooting Star Tobacco, Flowering Tobacco

Botanical Name
Nicotiana sylvestris

Plant Family
Solanaceae (Nightshade Family)

Life Cycle
Annual

Native Range
Bolivia and Argentina.

Hardiness Zone
2-11

Habit
A stately plant with large leaves, grows to 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Tubular white flowers explode from the tops of the plants in a 'firework’ or ‘shooting stars’ shape. The flowers are scented in the evening.

Sun/Soil
Tobacco needs all the sun you can give it, decent soil (the more fertile the better), and regular waterings to help it establish. The high humidity environment of the green house is also beneficial but not necessary.

Germination/Sowing
Tobacco seeds are very easy to germinate and the seedlings are fast growing. The seeds can be direct sown in fall or winter (zones 8+) or started in flats in the spring and transplanted out. Make sure to give the roots lots of root, the seedlings are fast growing and will become stunted if left to become root bound in small pots.

Growing/Care 
Tobacco plants like regular water throughout the growing season, if soil is deficient then adding compost, or a feeding of kelp and/or fish fertilized is recommended to encourage large leaf growth.
Once the plants begin to flower the plants can be cut at the base and hung to dry, alternatively the leaves may be harvested individually. For use as a smoking herb, the tobacco leaves must be processed by curing, fermenting, and aging.

I use Tobacco leaves not for smoking, but for spiritual offerings. For this purpose they do not have to be fermented. Instead, I wilt the whole leaves for a day or two, then roll each leaf individually into a loose cigar shape and dry them that way.

Culinary Uses
None known.

Medicinal Uses
Revered and respected as a sacred plant since ancient times, Tobacco is used for offering and purification. In ceremony, tobacco smoke is used to carry one's thoughts and prayers to the Creator.

Themes
Attracts Pollinators, Deer Resistant, Apothecary Garden, Sacred Medicine Garden.